The Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education and the Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders of the National Academies of Practice co-hosted a workshop on December 4 and 5, 2018 to review current evidence, discuss research gaps, examine health professional education and explore policies related to dissemination of best practices on non-pharmacological pain management.
Pain is a leading cause of disability in the United States. Given the complexity and biobehavioral nature of pain, the 2011 Institute of Medicine report on Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research advocated for multifaceted approaches for pain management comprised of both pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapies. In 2017, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's report Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic: Balancing Societal and Individual Benefits and Risks of Prescription Opioid Use reviewed the status of available evidence on nonpharmacological therapies for managing chronic pain. For example, CBT, a type of psychotherapy focused on restructuring negative thoughts and experiences with positive expectations, has been shown to be effective in reducing pain intensity and other psychological effects caused by pain (e.g., anxiety and depression) for low back pain, headaches, arthritis, orofacial pain, and fibromyalgia.
As a result of this national push toward the use of nonpharmacological therapies for chronic pain, increased health professionals' education and training will be needed to encourage the adoption and appropriate use of the evidence-based approaches. In addition, addressing policy barriers, such as those related to reimbursement for these treatments will be important to enable broader use and dissemination. Given the changing landscape for pain management, the Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders and the Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education will bring together key stakeholders to discuss these treatments and integrative health models for pain management.
The live event was held at the National Academy of Sciences Keck Center in Washington DC on Dec. 4-5 and was sponsored by ACAPT and APTA along with other professional organizations. The free workshop was co-chaired by Dr. Daniel Cherkin from Kaiser Permanente and Dr. Anthony Delitto from University of Pittsburgh and will be webcast. For further information please contact Kim Dunleavy kdunleavy@phhp.ufl.edu or Anna Fahlstrom afahlstrom@nas.edu.